Description

1965 Sandy Koufax Game Worn Los Angeles Dodgers Jersey, MEARS
A10.

"There are two times in my life the hair on my arms has stood
up," reported Al Campanis, the Dodgers scout who made one of
the most significant pitching discoveries in the sport's history.
"The first time I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the
first time I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball." Though the
University of Cincinnati southpaw would pitch seven seasons in the
Majors before leading the National League in anything other than
wild pitches, Koufax would develop into arguably the most dominant
pitcher of any era, and come to epitomize the notion of "going out
on top," closing his short but brilliant career with five
consecutive seasons atop the Earned Run Average leaderboard,
claiming three Cy Young Awards and an MVP in the process.

Three National League pennants and two Fall Classic victories
during this period were likewise the spoils of war owed in large
part to the sport's consummate hurler, and the provided home white
flannel garment emerges from Koufax' final World Championship
season, one awash in the bold black ink of Senior Circuit-topping
statistics: victories (26), winning percentage (.765), ERA (2.04),
complete games (27), innings pitched (335.2), strikeouts (382) and
WHIP (.855), the final four tallies each a career-best for the 1972
first-ballot Hall of Famer. Willie Mays would nudge Koufax out of
the 1965 National League MVP Award, but the Cy Young Award voting
was a shutout victory for the unhittable ace, all twenty ballots
cast in his favor.

The elite vintage and faultless MEARS rating establish the
presented Koufax representation as the finest available in the
hobby, and one of the most significant post-war game used articles
ever made available to the collecting market. The style is classic
and unmistakable, a blue scripted "Dodgers" rising over a red
number "32" that struck fear into the hearts of National League
batsmen. Number "32" is repeated in larger blue digits on reverse.
Lower left front tail provides the proper "Tim McAuliffe Inc."
manufacturer's label, softened from wear characterized as "light
to moderate," with "'65" year and "44" size designator below.
An embroidered white felt swatch reading "Koufax" in blue
completes the assembly.

As the A10 rating underscores, the jersey survives in 100% original
and unaltered condition down to the last thread and button, lacking
any hint of the staining or moth damage typical of decades-old
flannel. Much like the man who wore it during at the pinnacle of
his career, it is a relic that finds no challenger in its
supremacy, the only perfect ten-rated 1965 Koufax in the hobby. LOA
from MEARS, A10. LOA from Heritage Auctions.